American Idol, belatedly

I wasn't following American Idol Season 7 so I never got to watch ANY of the episodes on TV except the final results nights, completed the entire show on a replay. I got into the AI bandwagon only after my friend made me listen to a song which goes "She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene..." but sounded so strangely, bizarrely different. I listened to David Cook crooning "Always Be My Baby" looped in iPod that entire morning. I was so enchanted by David Cook I totally forgot my friend was rooting for the other David that I was bit puzzled when he told me he got a bit depressed when Cook won (while I, along with a few officemates some other company officers, wildly applauded when Cook was announced the winner. I like Archuleta too, and actually found him really, really charming when he sang "With You."

And so, I have downloaded the entire Season 7 studio recordings and listened to the finalists, some of them for the first time.

I think that:

Amanda Overmayr sounds really scary and angry. Don't like.

Michael Johns was voted out too early.

Ramiele Malubay was inconsistent.

Jason Castro sucks.

Kristy Lee Cook is not that bad. Oh, I love her performance of Martina McBride's "Anyway."

Syesha Mercado really did well and could have gone to the final two if she wasn't up against the two Davids.

David Archuleta's voice is excellent, but he sounds the same every week, except when he sang "With You."

I don't like rockers much, but David Cook is just awesome. Good work, his stylist. The makeover did him wonders. Heard he used to have a receding hairline but the new haircut and the facial hair did wonders!